Author
Andréa del Fuego
Andréa del Fuego
Born in São Paulo in 1975, Andréa del Fuego was named by The New York Times as one of “three of the most celebrated Brazilian writers in recent years.” Renowned in Brazil for her three novels and her numerous books for young adults and children, del Fuego has been awarded the José Saramago Literary Prize and been shortlisted for the São Paulo Literature Prize and the Jabuti Prize. Her young adult novel Sociedade da Caveira de Cristal (2008) sold over 300,000 copies in Brazil. Her short stories have been published in anthologies in the UK, France, Brazil, Portugal, Germany, and Peru.
Translator
Nina Perrotta
Nina Perrotta
Nina Perrotta is a literary translator from Spanish and Portuguese into English and an editor at Words Without Borders. Her translations have appeared in the Iowa Review, The Common, and La Lucha: Latin American Feminism Today (Charco Press, 2025), among other publications. Her first book-length translation, Clara Alves’s London on My Mind, was published by Scholastic in 2024. She has received grants and fellowships from MacDowell, the Fulbright Commission, the British Centre for Literary Translation, and the Bread Loaf Translators’ Conference. She was a finalist for the 2025 Gulf Coast Prize in Translation and the 2022 Peirene Stevns Translation Prize.
Original language
Portuguese
Publishing status
Translation extract
About the book
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About the book
A pediatra revolves around Cecília, a São Paulo-based paediatrician who – despite her choice of profession – does not like children. After initiating a roller-coaster affair with a married businessman named Celso, she forms a deep and unexpected connection with his young son Bruninho. As the tension between Cecília and Celso becomes untenable, and her personal and professional life spiral out of control, she decides to take control of the situation: she packs her car with supplies and kidnaps Bruninho. The novel asks uncomfortable questions about caregiving, class relations, and the pressures women face in contemporary society, and is a prime example of the ‘dirtbag female protagonist’.
What our readers say
“This translation is subtle, sensitive and shows a high level of skill when dealing with tone, as well as a strong awareness of the dark, ironic humour that permeates the source text. It’s fluent and flies by, the voice she captures is engaging and entertaining and forces us to sympathise and potentially side with the narrator, despite her moral dubiousness.
The source text is highly entertaining and funny. It also displays a mastery of tone and voice and infuses serious topics like childbirth, depression, romance and adultery with dark, sarcastic humour. The voice is very convincing and ‘alive’, and the world Del Fuego paints instantly feels real.
I would recommend this sample on sheer enjoyability alone. It’s refreshing to see a piece of work that covers ‘heavy’ topics while being so accessible and entertaining (and yet without sacrificing literary integrity). With such a relatable and magnetic and yet chaotic and amoral protagonist, of all the projects I’ve surveyed, this is the one I can most see being a big hit.”
–Rahul Bery
Awards
Shortlisted for the Jabuti Prize 2022
Finalist for São Paulo Literature Prize 2022
Semifinalist for the Oceanos Prize 2022
Rights available
Rights Sold